Speechless
by Devil's Breath
Summary: Genevieve Swan has always been the dare devil, the bad girl. Tough as nails, always the joker and always quick to laugh it off. She can put up a brave front no matter what, but when she meets Emmett Cullen her brave front begins to wear away… Leaving her vulnerable, and most definitely at risk of falling in love. OC/OC/Emmett, slightly AU
1. Memoirs of Our Time Together

Chapter 1:

**Memoirs of Our Time Together.**

I love my sister. When she left for Forks, I was devastated; not only because there would be no one to help me sneak in and out of the house at three in the morning, but because I was losing my only sister and my best friend too. I knew Charlie was hurt by my staying with Renée rather than coming with Bella, but as Bella put it "_someone_ has to take care of our hare-brained mother".

Renée and I have always had our rough patches. I think it started from when, oh I don't know; when she decided it was a good idea to name me _Genevieve_? Anyway as far as she's concerned, I should have turned out every bit as saintly my dear sister seems to be – which is practically impossible, because quite frankly, Bella's innocent disposition could rival a nun's. At least I think that's still the case. Ever since she moved to Forks (under the alibi of wanting to spend more time with Dad) Renée and I have managed to reach a compromise, of sorts. One where she leaves me alone and I don't do anything too outrageous.

Bella's always been the awkward one out of the two of us. She's sweet and shy, and I... am not. In fact, the only things we do have in common are our epic musical tastes and being completely fucking graceless, courtesy of Charlie.

Things have been tough here in Arizona, for a while now. Moving to Forks now would be a fresh start, something to look forward to. And Renée could finally go travel with Phil and I would finally be able to stop feeling guilty about her being stuck here with me. Of course she never voices her wishes, but I know my mom. She gets lonely and it isn't fair. Our relationship is pretty okay now, and I seriously cannot show my face at high school anymore… So Forks it is.

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_**2005, Phoenix, Arizona.**_

Two flights of stairs and a window. _What the fuck, Bella?_ I knew she was clumsy, but come on! I felt a pang in my chest seeing my sister bruised and weak, swamped by the aseptic sheets she was tucked into. She hadn't woken since she'd been admitted. I had been at the hospital for almost 14 hours now, and after consoling Renée and getting all the stats, we were allowed to sit by her and just wait for her to wake up. I heard light footsteps behind me, and a cool hand slid on to my shoulder. I turned to meet the strange topaz eyes of Edward, Bella's boyfriend. She'd told me over one of our many hundred phone calls that he's beautiful, and I had scoffed. But I certainly saw what she meant now. Edward (and his mother and father, who I had met earlier on), were among the most beautiful people I had ever laid eyes on. Their beauty was ethereal, almost haunting. I could definitely see the appeal he held for Bella, especially since she had broken her 17-year long chastity vow to date this guy.

At first, I was dubious. I was no stranger to abusive relationships, and if this Edward guy had anything, anything at all to do with my sister's current plight, he had hell coming. But then I saw… how he looked at Bella. And suddenly I knew what mom talked about, when she babbled on about soul mates and true love and everything else that made me want vomit on her. When he looked at Bella and in his eyes I saw nothing but the sweetest, most tender love. And in brief twinge of envy, I felt wistful, because I was absolutely certain no one would ever look at me that way. But at least I had the satisfaction of knowing he would never purposefully do anything to hurt my sister. And it had better stay that way. I absentmindedly patted her pale, splotchy arm hoping she would wake and let me know she's okay.

"You should eat something, Genevieve. You haven't eaten since you've arrived," his soft voice murmured.  
"Not hungry, call me Jen," I all but grunted back; fatigue obviously interfering with my eloquence, and Edward was just about to protest when my stomach betrayed me, gurgling at the smell of the chorizo panini he'd brought up from the cafeteria. He chuckled and offered me the food with an expectant look on his face, and I graciously accepted because it is rude to turn down food… and because I was fucking_ starving._

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Okay, so. First thoughts? Next chapter will focus on Jen and what happened during the summer she visited in New Moon, and it will start of the story which is set at the beginning of Eclipse. I know it's short, but i

Hope you enjoyed, and please drop a review.

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Sorry for posting this chapter again, I just realised FF decided it's totally fine to remove the italics in my work.

Thank you SO much for the reviews, I promise I will get the next chapter up very soon.


	2. Coming Home

**_2006, Forks, Washington_**

"So… He leaves you, you decide it's a good idea to ride motorbikes and jump off cliffs, he finds out, comes back and now you're both _just hunky dory_?" I said, sarcasm dripping from every word.  
Bella, who sat opposite me in the kitchen, wore an appropriately sheepish look on her face, her eyes shuffling around the room so they wouldn't have to meet my furious ones.  
"Actually, I, uh - it was just one cliff…" she stammered out, trailing off. I snorted.  
"Oh and that makes it _all _better, huh? What about Charlie? It would have _killed _him if you had died! What about me?" I asked allowing rage and hurt to fill my voice.  
Bella's eyes fluttered down to the corner of the table and her lips pressed into a small line, making me feel a little guilty. I sighed, and trudged over to her side of the table and wrapped my arms around her. She quietly reciprocated the hug, and it was our silent agreement to leave this… _incident _in the past, where it belonged.  
"I'm sorry, Jen. I wasn't thinking. I am so, _so _sorry," she whispered, her voice full of genuine remorse. I sighed for the millionth time that day, "I knew I shouldn't have let you come here alone. Just let Edward know that if he _ever_ pulls one like this again… He's going to wish he'd never been born."

I patted her hair down one last time and went to the living room, to join Charlie who was sat watching an old recorded game. I sat on the seat next to him and curled up, placing my head on his shoulder. In a very Charlie-like manner, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and planted a warm kiss on the top of my head, but said nothing. He understood the pain of almost losing Bella like no one else could. I had always got on better with Charlie than Renée. Charlie knows when words are needed, and when it's best not to say anything at all. Unlike Bella, I had actually preferred our summers in Forks over Charlie flying out to Arizona. I found the mass green foliage and the almost constant, quiet patter of rain to be soothing, but Bella hated it, so eventually she put her foot down and demanded he fly up rather than us go to Forks. I remember, especially in the last couple years, that I could fly back with him, just so I could escape the scrutinising gaze of Renée and Phil. Though they _say _everything is fine now… I know they still have trouble trusting me. It was when the whispers of 'boarding school' and 'should I quit my job?' came about, that I decided to really clean up my act. Not just for my sake, but for theirs, too.

* * *

Making up my resolve, I got out of my bed and tiptoed through the landing to Bella's room and knocked lightly. I knew Edward was here. I had no idea how he gets in, out and back to his house without getting caught, and I still don't. But that wasn't why I was there. I didn't particularly want to interrupt their little love-fest, but I knew they weren't in the middle of anything _too _important, and right now nothing was more important than this. Bella cracked open the door and poked her pale face out looking surprised and… oddly flushed. _I guess she's not that saintly after all._ After swallowing my laughter, I casually whispered "Can I have a word with Edward?" Bella's eyes widened and I knew she was about to stutter out a denial. Before she could do so, I interjected saying "look, I know he's in there, and you know me Bells, I really don't care about that; I just want to talk to him."  
Giving me a suspicious look she shuffled back into her room, emerging a few seconds later with Edward in tow. I chuckled - considering he had almost a foot on me, he looked pretty damn worried. I could see the guilt apparent in his liquid gold eyes, and decided not to chew him out _too_ bad… Just enough for him to be grateful that his balls are still attached to him.

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After establishing the fact that Edward and Bella were now in a good place, and spending some quality time with Charlie trying to help _him _cope with everything, I felt okay with going back to Arizona for a while, especially since it was in order to prepare for my new life in Forks.  
Charlie had been delighted at my decision to stay. He's done his part, he'd had a word with one of his friends and was sorting out a mode of transportation for me, and he'd got me a form to enrol at Forks High. Now came the hardest part… Clearing it with Renée.

She wasn't very pleased, to say the least. Now _both_ of her daughters were now going to be on the other side of the country. She began to wonder if she'd done something wrong. "No, mom, of course not," I said quietly, trying to soothe her worries. "You've done a great job, mom. You're off the hook now!" I joked, trying to keep the mood light, but the sorrow still hadn't left her eyes.  
She offered a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before saying "Sweetheart, is this because of…" she trailed off, waiting for my response. I sighed, wishing she wouldn't keep bringing that up. "No, mom. This has_ nothing_ to do with that. I know you've been lonely, and you wanna go on tours with Phil, but you stayed for me and I am so very grateful that you did. But please, belive me when I say: I am fine now, mom. So, please, do me and yourself a favour and _stop worrying_ and get out there and enjoy the life you have. Okay?" I finished, winded.  
She finally gave me her signature grin, and softly whispered "Okay. I'll try, but I'm your mom. I'm _always _gonna worry about you, my little rebel," she laughed and planted a kiss on the side of my temple before we went inside for my last dinner in Arizona.

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Thanks SO MUCH for the response so far! Isn't it peculiar? Reviews seem to make my fingers type faster... hah anyway, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed.

To answer a couple questions:

. I'm still debating whether or not Rosalie should feature in this story (I have quite a few possible story lines sorted)

. Whether or not she is in this fic or not, Emmett wouldn't be with her

. Annnndd... I'm afraid the wait to meet Emmett is pretty long... Guess you'll just have to keep reading, huh?

;) xo Selene

PS: I apologise for any errors, I haven't wrote anything like this in YEARS and I do not have a beta... so yeah.


	3. Armistice

**_2006, Forks, Washington_**

Chapter 3

Armistice

I hadn't been to La Push for a year now, and the cool, salty breeze gave me a sense of nostalgia; I was reminded of a time when things were simple, and the most difficult decision I had to make was whether or not I should go swimming before lunch. While Bella was kicking it up in LA – not, she and Edward just used the plane tickets Carlisle and Esmé had gotten her to go see mom –I was winding down on the beach. I lay back on the little sand there was on First beach and thought about the frenzy my first week in Forks had brought.

Dad still wasn't on what anyone would call 'good terms' with Edward… Not that I could blame him; I myself was had trouble warming up to him after the incident, but to Bella's relief we'd slowly formed a tentative friendship. Whereas with Alice… Well, thinking about the little pixie brought a smile to my face. Within the first sixty seconds of having met me, Alice had declared that she just knew we were going to be best friends and that she's had her eyes on a pair of boots that she just knew I would love.

The end of spring break would bring the beginning of my Junior year at Forks High. According to Bella it's stuff I've already done in Arizona as part of my AP classes, so it should be a breeze.

Bella also informed me that Edward is 'slightly uncomfortable' at the idea of her being friends with Jacob. Well, to me, it looks like a whole lot uncomfortable. I asked her if she was actually going to not see Jacob because of Edward. "Sheesh, no. He's a big boy, he can deal with it," came the reply, which I was proud to hear. Speaking of Jacob… I hadn't seen him since last summer, and I had put off visiting him long enough. I sat up to look at my watch and realised I'd spent about 45 minutes musing about the past week. Deciding that was about enough, I got up, dusted the sand off my legs and walked back to my car, relishing the feel of sand on my bare feet. I got into my slightly worn out Volkswagen (put in to my capable hands by Charlie's friend's friend who was looking to sell it cheap) and made my way down the vaguely familiar La Push highway, determined to see Jacob today. And all was well, until my engine gave a few violent sputters before deciding to give out completely. Fan-fucking-tastic.

I let out a long groan and got out to check out the engine, and unsurprisingly, as soon as I lifted the bonnet a toxic-looking grey cloud rose up from it. "'Pristine condition' my ass," I muttered, kicking the muddy back-left tire. I sighed, and looked around me as if a mechanic would appear if I glared at the sidewalk hard enough.

I heard the crunch of gravel behind me, and swerved to see what was there, only to slam in to a rock. Oh, wait, no, it was a person. I looked up and realised… it was a very beautiful person. His deep russet skin seemed to glow with no need for the sun, and his perfect pearly smile made my heart beat just that tiny bit faster. I felt my breath get caught in my throat. He chuckled in a way that warmed my insides and brought a flush to my cheeks. His warm brown eyes flashed down to mine and as I was obviously floundering for words, he took the initiative to provide some. "Hey, I'm Ethan. Need some help?"

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Okay. I know this is stupidly short, but it's just make sure you guys lot know I haven't abandoned/died. So, sorry for the long wait, I've been caught up with the real world :P (sucks, I know)

Don't worry this is still going to end up an EM/OC, m'kay?  
And I would really, really appreciate more reviews guys! It's so off putting to see over SEVEN HUNDRED views… and 10 reviews. SO please, even if you hate it and want to cut me for writing something so damn terrible… leave a review.

Thanks, and until next time,

Devil's Breath xo


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